Work Text:
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not consent for my writing to be used to train AI. Do not feed this into AI to summarize a review. I acknowledge I don't own the copyright to The Hunger Games. But every word in this fanwork was written by myself, without AI.
Given this is a romance between Snow's granddaughter (Rosalba) and the Odairs' son (Wade). Her age has been lowered to three in my fic during the Second Rebellion, around the time when he was born. To make sure there isn't a significant age gap between them. Erika Bierman was twelve in reality while filming Mockingjay Part 1.
My cast includes Brenton Thwaites as the Odairs' son Wade; Mia Carragher as Sequoia Mellark (Katniss and Peeta's daughter); Euan Garrett as Wheatley Mellark (Katniss and Peeta's son); and David Henrie as Thunder Hawthorne (Gale's son).
This is a sequel to my fic Where They Can't Hurt Us (We're Far From The Shallow Now), and the second installment in the Hurricane series. Somewhat inspired by The Harvest by BeesKnees, which introduced me to the Odairs' Son/Snow's Granddaughter pairing.
My work is set in the original trilogy book/film universe. I haven't had a chance to look at the prequel books/movies.
The fourteen-year-old Wade Odair opens a history textbook.
From District Four, Finnick Odair won the 65th Hunger Games. He was the youngest Victor in history at fourteen. The trident sponsor gift to Odair was the most expensive Arena gift of all time.
"Last week, we studied the 60th to the 64th Games. This period was quoted to be the grand era of beautiful Victors." The freshman teacher, Aquariusa, looks at Wade with sad eyes. It is the last class period of the day, nearly three in the afternoon. "Today we will cover the rest of the golden age, the 65th to the 70th Hunger Games."
Then she asks the standard question she gives almost every day. But each student knows the significance has been altered by Wade's presence. "Who can tell me the names of the Victors?"
Desks and chairs creaking, everyone in the room turns to stare at Wade. "Finnick Odair won the 65th, and Annie Cresta won the 70th," Wade answers.
Aquariusa continues. "Who were the winners of the 66th, 67th, 68th, and 69th?"
Other teenagers list more names. "Augustus Braun was the 67th, right?" calls Jetsam.
"Correct. Before we continue the lesson," Aquariusa says in a grave voice, "the Capitol in the Snowdonian Era killed over a thousand District children in the Arena. But there was a sex trafficking ring of Victors, organized by Maximinius Ravinstill and Coriolanus Snow."
Aquariusa's gaze meets Wade as she goes on. "This will be difficult to study. The Games' winners were the victims of extreme depravity. But we cannot close our eyes to the darker side of history. Because in doing so, we would ignore their suffering. The survivors' pain deserves to recognized, even if it is hard to face. We'll take turns reading."
Jetsam reads aloud first. "'Finnick Odair was the Victor of the 65th Hunger Games. He was an orphan from District Four, and a pearl diver before he was Reaped.'"
Classmates take turns. And then Wade has to stare at the text and voice aloud his own father's abuse. Finnick's photo from the Arena, trident gift in hand, stares back at him.
"'When he won…'" Wade's throat is dry from nerves. "'Odair was… was sexually abused at his Victor's Gala by the Gamemaker Prisca. After a decade of… prostitution, he escaped following the Quarter Quell to District Thirteen. There he married Annie Cresta. He fought in the Second Rebellion, where he was attacked by… Muttations..." Wade thinks he might be sick. "Can someone else read?"
Jetsam continues about Finnick surviving the war, but Wade barely hears Jetsam. All the Odairs' son can see is the photo of his youthful father's Games on the page. Wade feels his stomach twisting, the awful bile rising in his throat, ears ringing. Wade bolts to the school bathroom to throw up in the toilet.
He trudges home, lightheaded and nauseated. His mother is at the door. "You look pale as death," Annie Odair gasps.
"Today, we…" Wade walks into the house, just as Finnick arrives from the Docks.
"What's wrong?" Finnick Odair asks. His eyes are clear on a better day, and this time Wade is the one struggling. Finnick still has scars from the Rebellion, caused by Mutts his son had only just learned in the textbook.
"We read about…" Wade can barely say it. "What the Capitol did after the Games. I threw up at school." Tears flood in his eyes. "How could they do that to you, Da?"
Finnick holds Wade when his son crumbles under the weight of the discovery. On any other day, Wade believes he is too old to cry, too old to be held by his parent. But Wade's tears dampen his father's sweater, with Finnick's strong arms around him. The carefully selected images from the textbook and holograms haunt the boy. Wade knows from hearing his father's nightmares through the walls, that the full truth is darker.
Joining them, Annie runs her hand up and down Wade's spine. "You're not alone. We're here."
"I'm sorry you had to learn this," Finnick says, protective arms around his distraught son. "And I fought a war so you would never go through it yourself."
Relatives and their family friends gather in District Four for Panem's Liberation Day. Wade is not in the mood to celebrate. Annie's wealthy parents, the Crestas who own the seafood canning factory, host on the beach. Finnick, however, has no family left other than his wife and son. Sequoia Mellark-Everdeen and Wheatley Mellark-Everdeen are a few years younger than Wade.
"Look, the Hawthornes are here," Sequoia says. She is the spitting image of her mother, the Mockingjay.
Gale follows his family at a distance. His wife Johanna marches in with confidence, loudly saying Finnick's name as she good-naturedly shoves the other Victor with her shoulder. Thunder Hawthorne is her stepson; his mother Madge had died, and Annie still says she never pictured Johanna married with a child. But Johanna is an outgoing surrogate stepmother to Thunder.
"Aunt Kat doesn't look happy," Wade comments.
Katniss Mellark-Everdeen tenses when she sees Gale. He doesn't come often to reunions if she is present. But Peeta walks across the sand to greet Gale.
"Dad is trying to get her to be less standoffish with Uncle Gale," Wheatley explains. Sequoia's younger brother with golden curls is pudgy and kind; Katniss makes sure that her family is well fed.
"Yeah, well, she has a good reason not to want to see him," Sequoia retorts. Then they see Katniss embrace Thunder and Johanna; the Mockingjay isn't heartless.
Wade is still shaken by the horrifying discovery at school, only days before. He lets the other pre-teens throw driftwood sticks for the Newfoundland dog owned by his grandparents. Finnick is discussing military changes with Gale, while Johanna says something to make Peeta turn red. Thunder, Wheatley, and Sequoia sprint across the dunes.
Placing her knitting on the table, Annie leaves the others to sit beside Wade on the beach. "You alright?"
"Still not feeling great," Wade admits to his mother.
"Liberation Day celebrates that all of those terrible things, Wade, are in the past. It's over." She swipes a thumb on her son's cheek. "You have dirt on your face."
"Ugh, Mom, everyone's watching. I'm begging you not to embarrass me."
She sighs affectionately. "I'm looking after you because I love you, guppy."
The fourteen-year-old rolls his eyes, as he tries not to smile. "Please don't call me guppy."
"Wade, a letter from the Capitol came for you."
The eighteen-year-old Wade sees his father shake. The Capitol's seal has been changed after the Rebellion, but the address is still from the President's Mansion. Finnick stares at the envelope, his eyes glassy as he goes into a flashback.
"Finnick?" Annie goes to her husband. She's the calm one these days, though she has her own moments of trauma. Careful not to touch Finnick, Annie tries to pry the letter from him. But Finnick's grip is like a snapping turtle, rigid with fear. "You're not being sent to the Capitol, my love. It's from Paylor."
"Da, you're at home in Four," Wade tells his scarred father.
Annie finally wrenches the envelope from Finnick. "Take this outside," she tells their son. "Don't let him see it."
"I can help–" Wade protests.
"You shouldn't have to take care of your parent," Annie interrupts. "Go, Wade."
Wade reluctantly leaves, looking back as Annie tries to soothe the Victor. Finnick's knees slam against the floor as he hyperventilates, and she bends down. "I can't…" Finnick gasps for air. "I can't do it again!"
"You're safe. The Games are over, no one in the Capitol will hurt you. You're safe, Finn."
Wade takes the crumpled letter to the beach, only steps from the cottage. He's just graduated from the District's high school. It is truly from President Paylor in the Capitol. And he reads it as the sea crashes on the rocks.
Wade Odair,
President Paylor invites you to participate in Panem Broadcast's documentary, "Victors' Legacy". Funded by the government, Director Cressida will be interviewing the children of Victors about the impact of the Games in society. The release will coincide with this year's anniversary of the last Games, the 75th Quarter Quell.
You will not be forced to take part. If you wish to be interviewed, respond to the President's Mansion.
President Paylor
Commander-In-Chief of the United Republic of Panem
For eighteen years, Wade has grown up haunted by his family's ghosts from the Arena. He loves his parents, but they are a mess at times, relying on heavy medication as long as Wade can remember. His father can be energetic one minute, competing in diving or sailing races with his son. And the next, Finnick can fall apart on the shore.
Wade has an idea of what his parents endured. History class spends considerable time on the Hunger Games, and its era in the Capitol. Students memorize Victor names, ages, numbers of their Games. And Wade has to study his father's pain from a textbook. His mother was mentioned far less in the pages, only vague details of going mad. Annie's identity was wrapped in being Finnick's wife, and mother of the bronze Victor's son.
Wade had a front row seat to things historians couldn't fathom. The way Finnick tied ropes into fishing knots and nooses, or Annie singing to calm her husband. How Wade woke night after night to ensure his screaming parents were alright.
The young adult scans the president's message again. Wade imagines going to the Capitol, telling his family's struggles to a camera crew. He hides the paper in his pocket, and returns to the beachfront home. It belonged to Mags' family before the First Rebellion. The house is quiet when he shakes sand out of his shoes. Annie comes into the kitchen.
"How's Da?"
"Better. Somewhat." She turns on the kettle. "He's in the bath. What did the letter say?"
"Nothing much." The day has been hard enough without Wade adding to it. He decides to shield his parents further.
She sets out a hibiscus tea bag on the counter. They hear a faint knock at the door, and Annie rushes to answer it. Even the sound of knocking could set off Finnick. "Bring his meds, and steep the tea, darling."
Wade pours boiling water into the mug, stirring the hibiscus flavor. Annie goes outside to speak to whoever is there. And then Wade brings the drink down the hall.
Finnick is in the bath, bare-chested in soaked shorts. He runs a hand over his damp face.
"Da, it's Wade. I made tea."
Finnick looks sharply at the open door. But he visibly relaxes when he sees his son. Progress. "Oh. I didn't see you there."
"Here's your medicine."
The young man hands the mug and pill organizer to his father, and Wade retreats to the sink. "I wish we had morphling…" Finnick says to himself. Finnick takes three pills from the medicine tray, swallowing them with a sigh.
"Morphling makes things worse, remember?" Wade cautions.
Wade and Annie eventually calm Finnick. Mother and son return to the kitchen after Finnick falls asleep, all three exhausted.
"What did the letter say?" Annie asks by the cottage window overlooking the coastline. Her hands tremble as she tries to stay present. Wade wordlessly gives the knitting basket and needles to her. She starts crocheting a half-finished fisherman's sweater. Annie sells them at market, but knitting is her way of calming herself. Annie has to be the anchor for Finnick now, but the pain is difficult for her.
"Scholarship from President Paylor," Wade lies. "I thought I might look at colleges while I'm in the Capitol." The excuse might give him enough time to film without his parents knowing.
"I can tour campuses with you," Annie offers.
"I appreciate it. But I'd rather not be mobbed by autograph hunters," Wade says with a light smile. "If I go alone, I have a chance to be seen as myself. Not the Victors' son." Wade pauses. "Besides, Da needs you here."
That night, Wade swims in the dark ocean to clear his head. Guilt forms in his stomach about lying to his family's faces. But putting them through a return to the Capitol, the city which had been Finnick's personal hell? Wade can't ask this of his father.
Wade returns to creep softly through the hallway. He passes his parents' door left ajar. Annie is asleep under the duvet, but Finnick rests flat on the hard floor. Their son has almost never seen Finnick lay on a bed. Annie's arm is outstretched over the side of the bed, brushing Finnick's digits. Their fingers almost touch, having fallen asleep holding hands.
Wade walks onto set, and sees Rosalba Snow.
They are filming in the old, abandoned Tribute Center, now in a Capitol neighborhood fallen into ruins. There had been scarce photos of Rosalba in textbooks, and footage in documentaries. She had been only three during the Second Rebellion, a footnote in the fall of President Snow. Wade had read a mention of Coriolanus' cousin Tigris taking in the girl after the war, and there was little else about her.
At twenty-one, Rosalba is three years older than Wade. He wonders how he can find Snow's granddaughter to be beautiful, but she is. Rosalba has delicate features, green eyes, and long chocolate waves flowing down her back. But she wears a lace dress in her family's signature ice-cold hue.
"Do I have to wear white?" Rosalba is asking Cressida. "I'm dressed like a Gamemaker."
"Viewers will expect you to look like a Snow, which you are," Cressida says with a resolute tone.
Sequoia and Wheatley arrive for filming. "Wade!" Sequoia throws her arms around him. Wade is practically their cousin.
"It's been a while, Causeway Wade," Wheatley jokes.
"Good to see you." The Odairs' son notices Rosalba watching them.
"Places!" Cressida calls.
Wade and Rosalba settle into their chairs, as Hair and Makeup dash in for final adjustments. The significance of their scene pairing is easy to spot. True, Katniss Everdeen herself is the mother of the Mellark-Everdeen siblings. But Finnick is the most legendary and worshipped Victor in history. No one is more venerated than Finnick, not even the Mockingjay. Wade is aware the cameras will follow him, and his throat goes dry.
Finnick's son looks into the eyes of the President's granddaughter. He is surprised there is no hatred in her face, given his father fought to overthrow her family in power. Rosalba is one of the last living memories of the dictator's police state. The United Republic of Panem strives to move on. But some things cannot be forgotten. Rosalba is a testament of the brutal past, in ways even Wade is not. But she was too young then to orchestrate the Games, wasn't she?
"Audio? Thank you, lights. Pollux, camera speed!" The mute cinematographer says something in sign language. "Thank you, camera! Action!"
"It has been nineteen years since the final Hunger Games, the 75th Quarter Quell," Rosalba begins. She has an accent that Wade heard in foreign films from Europa. "Eighteen since the Second Rebellion, fall of the Snowdonian Era. And the start of the United Republic of Panem. My name is Rosalba Snow." She takes a breath. "Granddaughter of Coriolanus Snow."
Next to Pollux's camera, Cressida gestures at Wade. "And I'm Wade Magnus Flanagan Odair. Son of Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta," he says proudly.
The teenagers speak at the same time. "We're hosting the documentary Victors–"
"And this is Victors' Legacy–" Rosalba tries to say.
"Cut!" Cressida leaves video village. "Don't talk over each other. She's hosting, let her say the name of the show. The conversation should flow naturally." The director returns to the crew. "From the top!"
Introducing themselves again, Rosalba inquires, "I imagine the Games are a common topic in the Odair household."
Wade shakes his head, tensing. "It's not."
They look at each other. "And why not?" she asks with surprising patience. Other people would demand answers.
"My parents don't dwell on the Games. It's what happened afterwards, that they have nightmares about."
"Cut! Good, actors take ten minutes," their director announces.
Crew prepares for a new angle and set up, moving everything. Cressida is debating about lighting. And then an old man walks in through a back door. His eyes land on Wade. "There he is," the old man says with too much interest.
Antonius is a throwback relic to the Snowdonian regime. Now at least seventy, the Defense Minister is the former General of the Peacekeepers. Shot during the uprising by Finnick himself, Antonius had survived Snow's poisoning and disappeared after the Second Rebellion. There have been rumors the fat, old general died, but here he is. An ugly scar marks the side of his bald head, and he still wears a white suit to represent Coriolanus' power.
"You're the son of Finnick Odair." It's not a question, Antonius knows Wade's identity.
Wade steps back. "Have we met?"
"No, but I know all about you." Antonius' hand goes with too much familiarity to Wade's hip, and the young man moves away. Wade's skin crawls.
"Stop," Rosalba says.
"What are you doing here?" Cressida protects her cast of actors, striding to confront Antonius. "This is a closed film set."
"I'm visiting the Capitol," Antonius says as if he didn't commit war crimes.
"Paylor exiled you from the Panem Republic."
Antonius shrugs. "I'm back for the end of the war's anniversary. And to meet Finnick's son."
"Don't go near Wade!" Cressida hisses. "Security!" The lighting grip engineers march Antonius offset. And Pollux lifts a heavy sandbag to be ready to throw it at Antonius' head.
Cressida digs her fingernail into her forehead. "Let's break for lunch."
Wade goes to a café near the set, run by District Eleven's migrants from the south. A few minutes later, Rosalba goes to Wade's table by the window. "Mind if I join you?" Before he can answer, she sits down and says, "Strange that General Antonius wandered in. Do you know him?"
Wade shakes his bronze hair. "No, never met him in my life. But people know me because of my family."
"I know the feeling." Her slender hands curl around her mug of tea.
"At least my family was on the right side of history." It's more harsh than he intends. "Sorry."
"You're not wrong."
He finishes the gumbo stew, trying to make conversation. "Where did you go after the Second Rebellion?"
"Britannia, across the sea." It explains her lofty accent. "I left Panem with Aunt Tigris. She's my cousin, but I call her aunt."
"Is she in the Capitol?"
"Right now, yes. She spends most of her time at the hotel. She helped Katniss Everdeen in the war. But people still reject Aunt Tigris for being related to Grandfather Cor…" Rosalba trails off. "Where did you grow up?"
"District Four. We visit Twelve all the time to see Aunt Kat and Uncle Peeta. But Da wishes we saw Aunt Johanna more often."
Rosalba smiles wistfully. "I can't imagine calling Katniss Everdeen just Aunt Kat."
"She's not as intimidating as people imagine. Sometimes."
Filming resumes, but everyone is on edge from the previous uninvited guest. They are finally released at the end of the night. In the hotel hallway, he leaves the elevator to see Tigris embrace Rosalba.
"How was filming?" the bizarrely-feline woman asks, tiger stripes tattooed on her skin.
"Good, Aunt Tigris. Though people keep their distance," Rosalba sighs. "They see my last name, my grandfather in my face. Not me."
The Snow women notice Wade, and they go into their room. He doesn't know what he could even say.
The next day of filming, Rosalba arrives late to set. She plaits her hair into a braid reminiscent of the Mockingjay. Rosalba wears a dark pantsuit and sharp eyeliner. Gone is the Capitolite girlish look.
"Where the hell have you been?" Cressida snaps. "You almost missed call time, the start of filming!"
"Cressida–"
"Where's the dress? You're ruining continuity! Did you get this from Wardrobe?"
"No. It's mine. I'm not wearing white again."
Mounting a camera on the tripod, the cinematographer signs desperately. "Pollux said we're losing daylight!" Cressida snaps. The director is livid. "Get to set, now!"
They reshoot the introduction, and finally move on. Then the Mellark-Everdeens film their interviews, and Wade has time to briefly go home to Four.
"How were the college tours?" Finnick asks. Clearly Annie told him about the so-called scholarship. He is himself again, clear-headed and steady.
"Uh, fine," their son lies. "Effie is letting me stay with her. And she invited me back to visit again." The truth is Wade hasn't spoken to Effie in years. The Capitolite woman is his parents' friend, not Wade's, but it's a convenient excuse. "I'm looking at District Two College, and the University of Panem."
Wade dives into the waves that first afternoon. Finnick follows, while Annie watches them swim from the back door. Then Finnick and Wade rest on the pier, legs hanging over the edge into the ocean.
"No child should have to shield their parents," Finnick says. "I'm better. I could go on campus tours with you."
Wade lies again to protect his father. "Da, people would just mob you." Wade avoids his father's eyes. "You want the truth? It… it would be embarrassing."
Wade refuses to bring Finnick to the Capitol, to discover the documentary and relive the unimaginable abuse. The man is too fragile. Wade won't put him through that. "I'm eighteen, I'm not a kid anymore," Wade says instead. "Let me have independence." Don't ask me to cause you pain.
That night, Finnick wakes the house begging for mercy in a nightmare. It cements Wade's decision as he and his mother try to calm Finnick.
After the first night back to filming, Wade and Rosalba run into each other. "Sorry," he says when their shoulders collide. Rosalba's eyes are a stunning green, which he shouldn't find beautiful.
But then he overhears Cressida on a hologram call. "Do we have the locations secured for the Arena museums? The 65th, 70th, 74th, and 75th are most important for filming."
Wheatley calls Wade's name, but the outraged Wade is striding off set into the night. The Victors' children and Snow's granddaughter find themselves on a dark street corner. "We have to go to our parents' damn Arenas?" Wade exclaims. "Cressida is no better than the Capitol!"
"I don't think she meant…" Rosalba tries to say.
"She's exploiting our generational trauma!"
"How does anyone learn about the reality of the Games without it being on record?" Sequoia points out.
"I don't enjoy talking about our parents' pain either," Wheatley adds. He's the peace maker between them. "But she's right. Journalists and filmmakers preserve history, which we are a part of. Cressida is giving us a voice."
The next morning, cameras record the teenagers' every step through the 75th Quarter Quell. The Arena museums have fallen into disrepair, nature left to turn wild. The jungle is so overgrown, they can't enter the mass of palm trees, vines, and ferns. And the cast and crew stay on the beach, looking at the rusting Cornucopia that had once spun like mad.
"My Dad became allies with your parents over there," Wade comments.
"I'm glad he did," Wheatley replies. "We know each other today, because they stood together."
"To fight against your grandfather," Sequoia says sharply, glaring at Rosalba. "Did you watch our parents fight and bleed on television? Safe in your ivory tower, Miss Snow?" Sequoia hisses.
"Hey, hey." Wade steps forward to intervene between the girls. "Rosalba didn't plan the Games."
"I was three years old at the time," Rosalba says over Wade's shoulder to the other girl. "I had no influence on the Arena."
Sequoia's blue eyes are hard. "You could've told Coriolanus to stop sending people to fight to the death! It was Snow's Colosseum in his Roman Empire!"
"Easy, Sequoia." Wheatley holds back his sister as she tries to go towards Rosalba.
They go next to the 74th Arena, because Sequoia's fuse is running low. "This is where Katniss and Peeta won their Games," Rosalba says quietly, taking in the forest around them. "Pretended to fall in love for the Capitol."
"Our father truly fell in love," Sequoia corrects.
Wheatley stands at his sister's side. "It took our mother longer to admit it, but she loves him too. Still does."
"And cut. Wheatley and Sequoia, that's a wrap for you for tonight. You can go to your hotel." Cressida turns to Rosalba and Wade. "We paid half a million to film in each Arena. I'm sorry to ask this. But are you emotionally ready to see the 65th and 70th?"
Wade nods, nervous. "Yeah."
They pack the camera gear, and drive to the 65th Games, his father's Arena. It is a bamboo forest with an almost dry lake, craggy rocks suited to Finnick even in his youth. The lake once had crashing waves, almost like the ocean. Wade pauses with Rosalba at the water's edge.
"Go to the largest rock, that cliff there," Cressida tells Finnick's son. "Where your father received the trident gift." Wade hears Cressida mutter something to Pollux that sounds like, "Wish we had the original trident."
Half of Wade doesn't want to reenact his family history, not even for Cressida. But he walks forward, climbing on the large, smooth rocks until he reaches the cliff etched in history. He has seen endless photos and videos of his father here, receiving the trident from the sky. It is one of the most iconic Arena moments of all time.
"The trident came from Gamemaker Prisca," Wade says. The camera crew moves in closely. "Dad said he didn't know then, how Prisca would demand he repay her. She assaulted him at his Victor's gala, six hours after he left the Arena." It is difficult to draw air. "Prisca raped my father when he was fourteen."
"Cut," their director says. "Wade, can you handle going to the 70th? It's the last one."
"I think so."
Wade breathes hard when they walk into the 70th. He tries not to have a panic attack, as he wanders by the broken dam that had saved his mother's life. Rosalba is nearby, concern in her eyes.
"When I was sixteen, I learned why the dam was broken in the 70th Games," Wade says, heart pounding. "Of course I wanted my mother to survive her Games, but…" He trembles like dune grass in a storm.
"But what?" Rosalba asks softly.
Wade can't speak for a moment. "My father had a livestreamed gang rape, to convince Prisca to break the dam. Which included your grandmother, the First Lady Livia Snow," Wade says coldly. Then he regrets trying to hurt Rosalba. "Dad said he would do anything to save Mom. And then Prisca invited fifteen Capitol elites to broadcast themselves abusing him. It worked to break the dam, but at what cost? My father's body, my father's soul?"
Wade can't hold it together any longer. He swipes at the tears spilling down his face, trying not to cry on camera.
"Cut, cut!" their director says quickly. "Pollux, we'll remove him crying in editing. I'm not exploiting Wade the way his family was before."
"Thank you," Wade says hoarsely. "I can't film anymore."
"It's alright, we're wrapped for tonight. You deserve time to rest."
"I'll take you to the hotel," Rosalba offers.
Snow's granddaughter and the Odairs' son go by taxi to their hotel. He changes into swim trunks and goes to the nearest water he can find, the hotel pool. He dives in, letting the chlorinated water envelop him. His lungs burn, but he doesn't care.
When he finally surfaces for air, Rosalba is stepping down the pool stairs in a blue swimsuit. "Wade?"
He ignores her to swim laps, pushing himself. It's very different from the wildness of the sea, the pool contained and controlled. There's chlorine in the water, not salt; everything about the Capitol remains unnatural. But he swims and swims until he has to stop from exhaustion at the edge, a sob breaking through. He tries to pull himself together as Rosalba swims to his side.
Her gentle hand goes to his bare shoulder. "You're not alone."
"What if it had been me?" he gasps. "What if I had been in the Games? What if I had been trafficked to the Capitol?" His tears run hot down his face, flowing with the cool pool water on his skin.
"The Games are over, the war is over," she tells him.
He hyperventilates. "Why did my parents have to go through so much pain? Why did all the Victors, and Tributes, and the slaves of Panem have to suffer?"
"Breathe," she says. "Come sit on the steps. You're not breathing, Wade. Low and slow."
He's reminded of his parents helping each other through their trauma flashbacks. Now it is the heiress of President Snow who calms the Odairs' son. Wade sits with Rosalba on the pool steps, and she strokes his arm to soothe him.
Wade looks at her, so close that their faces almost touch, and he finds he wants to kiss her. "I'm going to turn in, the last day of filming is tomorrow. Thank you, Rosie." The nickname slips without a thought. "I mean, Rosalba."
"I like Rosie," she says. "Rosalba means rose white in Latin, and I'm tired of only being seen as Coriolanus' relative. I want to be seen as me." Tears gleam in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Wade. To you and your family. And to the Mellarks and Everdeens, to every Victor and Tribute. I never asked for you to go through so much pain."
She takes a ragged breath. "I acknowledge it was caused by my family to your family. I used to miss my grandfather. But now that I am older, I am glad he is dead. It will never erase what occurred. I apologize for what my family did to the country."
"It wasn't your fault," he tells her honestly. "You shouldn't have to carry your family's burden."
"Your family's burden isn't yours to carry either," she replies, and bravely faces the pain which other Capitolites ignore. "My grandfather wouldn’t ask for forgiveness, even if he was alive. No one else will apologize. But I am truly sorry."
"Thank you." Wade stands from the pool. "Goodnight, Rosie."
Wade meets Cressida on the original set for the last day. "You brought it?" she asks.
He takes the handmade fisherman's sweater from his bag. "Yes, this is the one my mother crocheted."
The director nods. "Good. Wear it for the last scene."
He pulls the cream sweater over his head. "It's a little obvious being from District Four, isn't it? I might as well be wearing deep sea fishing gear."
"I've heard these sweaters are symbols of devotion, made by your District for the fishermen and fisherwomen out at sea. What better way to end the documentary, about Four's most well-known family?"
Rosalba leaves the Hair and Makeup room. She wears a long dress, her hair in the Mockingjay's iconic braid. Snow's granddaughter proudly wears symbols of defiance against her grandfather's dictatorship.
"You look… pretty." Wade wants to say beautiful, heavenly, exquisite.
Each Victors' child now wears a Mockingjay pin on their clothes. They film the last reflections on the Games' legacy. Wheatley and Sequoia discuss how their mother and father have lived in the new republic. Rosalba explains her hopes for Panem's future. Wade muses that he wants his parents to find the peace they deserve.
"And that's a wrap!" Cressida says, and the cast and crew applaud. Wade hugs Rosalba.
"Wade Odair!"
Wade freezes when he hears his father's voice. Finnick and Annie are somehow in the Capitol, verdigris green trident low at Finnick's side. This can't be happening.
"Effie told us you weren't staying with her!" Annie says with atypical firmness as they walk into the film shoot. "She'd never heard of your campus tours or scholarships!"
"I can explain…"
Wade has never seen his father so disappointed. "Don't lie to me again, young man!"
Cressida steps in. "I cast him in Paylor's documentary. I thought you saw the letter."
"Our son hid it from us!" Annie explains, hands on her hips.
"We just got your assistant's note about the trident!" Finnick's jaw clenches. "It didn't say it was for filming, just an address in the Capitol!"
Wade takes the coward's way out, and runs. Hiding the documentary was meant to protect them, and everything is falling apart. As his parents argue with Cressida, Rosalba follows Wade.
The Odairs' son runs through the dark streets of the Capitol. He finds himself in a part of the city he's never been to. The Mockingjay symbol is spray painted on a wall. "I couldn't shield them from this!" Wade exclaims as Rosalba finds him. "And now it's backfiring spectacularly!"
"Maybe Cressida can change their minds," Rosalba tries to say.
"It will never work!"
And then a car pulls up to them. The window rolls down to reveal Antonius. "If you need to get away, I can help you," the general says.
"Absolutely not," Rosalba says instantly.
But Wade hesitates.
"You deserve to live your own life, not controlled by your family. Don't you want to make your own choices?" Antonius cajoles them. "Forget this ever happened?"
Too ashamed to face his family, Wade opens the car door. "What are you doing?" Rosalba demands.
"Living my own life," Wade says. "You don't have to come."
Rosalba looks back, wavering, and follows Wade into the vehicle. "I'm not letting you go alone."
Antonius drives them to an underground bar. The cheap shopping center is converted from a mansion. The bar is filled with older folks clinging to their tattered remains of pre-war luxury clothes. Young people wearing Snowdonian symbols, with white rose tattoos and white clothes. Balding Peacekeepers nurse liquor, in uniforms that don't fit. It's a hidden place for people who long for the old days, when Snow's elite ruled Panem.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Rosalba whispers, and Wade reaches for her hand.
"Where did you go after the Rebellion?" Wade asks their strange companion.
"Germania in Europa," Antonius explains. "You went to Britannia, didn't you, Miss Snow?" Antonius pushes a neon drink into Wade's hand. "Try this. Booze is on me."
Wade looks at the glass. "Well…"
"Don't you want to be seen as the adult you are?"
Then Wade drinks, and Antonius smiles. "You know, this shopping center used to be my mansion," the old man tells them. "I have a secret to show you."
"I don't… feel so good," Wade mumbles. His mouth doesn't totally work, and speaking is difficult as his head spins.
Worried, Rosalba goes to Wade. "You look terrible. We should go."
The former Defense Minister ignores her. "Just stay a few more minutes, you have to see this."
Antonius takes Wade by the arm to a side door. Rosalba is protesting, but Wade can barely understand what she's saying. His mind is dulled in a fog. The room has red padded walls, and endless couches. Some of the furniture is frayed, showing its age.
"Lay down here." Antonius directs Wade to lay on his back on a couch. But the overweight general stands too close over the boy, tall and overbearing.
"You're too close, I don't…" Wade tries to say.
"Why are you so close to him?" Rosalba says.
Antonius unbuckles his belt. "You know, your father Finnick and Johanna Mason came here with me, in the old days." With a perverted smile, he strokes Wade's face. "And now I finally have Odair's beautiful son."
Antonius kisses Wade, who tries to push the heavier man away. "Stop!"
Rosalba wrenches Antonius by the arm, using all of her light weight to try to save the boy. "Get away from Wade!"
Antonius backhands Rosalba. "Quit being such an irritating bitch!" She is momentarily stunned, holding her bruised face.
Wade bites Antonius' lip at another forced kiss. "My answer is no!" Wade desperately uses every ounce of his draining energy to get away from his attacker. "No, Antonius!"
Rosalba throws herself on Antonius' back, her arms around the old man's neck. "Leave Wade alone!" But Antonius shoves Rosalba so hard, that her head collides with the corner of a nearby glass table. Blood begins dripping down her pale face.
"Ros… Rosie…!" Delirious, Wade tries to crawl to her, but Antonius holds him down.
Rosalba still stands upright as they hear footsteps outside. "I won't let you assault him!"
Antonius' breath is hot. "It's like buying young Finnick all over again."
Wade tries to push Antonius' face away from his own. Rosalba raises a chair into the air. Wade is so, so tired, but his soul knows he has to escape while he is still conscious. "Don't touch me!"
Finnick, Annie, Cressida, and Tigris burst through the door just as Antonius' hands slide under Wade's sweater. Swinging the trident at the general's head, Finnick rips Antonius away from his son, and slams the old man through the glass table. As the shards cascade, Annie rescues Wade from the chaos. Tigris and Cressida look at the wound on Rosalba's head. Wade flees to the safety of Annie's embrace, for once needing his mother.
But Finnick takes down the molester, the Victor's hands like a shark's jaws around his rival's throat. The trident is on the red carpet. Antonius chokes, scrabbling to push him away. But Finnick is still strong from hauling nets of fish.
Finnick's blue eyes rage like a hurricane. "You will never touch my son again, understand?"
"I don't take orders from Victors!" Antonius wheezes. "Victors exist to entertain me!"
"It's not enough for you to rape me when I was fourteen!" Finnick growls. Antonius is turning purple. "Now you molest my son? And you think I will let you see another sunrise? Annie, the trident!"
Annie gives the weapon to her husband. "Kill him!"
Wade watches as Finnick defeats their mutual abuser. The Victor impales the forked trident into Antonius' stomach, to gut him like a salmon. Finnick snaps Antonius' neck, breaking his spine. It is a reminder that Finnick is not only a survivor of trafficking, he won his Games for a reason.
Finnick stands, breathing hard, in the silence that follows. The trident clatters to the floor. "He's dead, he won't hurt us again."
Wade staggers upright, trying to ignore being lightheaded. He throws his arms around his father, and Finnick holds him protectively. "No one touches you without going through me first," Finnick tells him.
Annie insists on taking both teenagers to the hospital. Wade sleeps off the roofied drink, and Rosalba has only a small scar. Wade floats between waking and unconsciousness. His eyes crack open to see Annie having a panic attack in his hospital room. Finnick is at his wife's side.
"Annie, breathe," Finnick says. There's pain in his face too, but he focuses on his traumatized spouse.
"I can't stop thinking about when Antonius molested me!" Annie gasps. "And then he targeted our son! Our child, Finnick, just because Wade is ours! Antonius planned his sick fantasy all these years!"
"We stopped Antonius together." Finnick cradles Annie's face in his hands. "Look at me, you're here with me. It's Finnick, my love. Wade is safe now, and so are you."
"Wade?" Annie says when she sees her son's eyes close again.
Rosalba and Tigris leave after saying goodbye, but Annie and Finnick remain with their son. "We saw Rosalba trying to protect you," Annie says. Wade is drained, but he can function now.
"I never thought I'd see the day," Finnick comments. "That Snow's granddaughter stopped the practices her grandfather allowed."
"I visited her hospital room, she's a sweet girl," Annie adds.
Wade nods. "She's a better person than I ever gave her credit." When he tries not to smile, his parents exchange a knowing look.
They return to District Four. Annie fusses over their son, while Wade tries to convince her that he's recovering.
A letter comes from Cressida, and this time Finnick opens it at dinner. Wade and Annie watch him carefully over clam chowder, but Finnick reads solemnly. "The film premiere is in two weeks," he says. "We're all invited."
"Am I even allowed to go?" Wade asks. He's been grounded from swimming for a month.
"I don't know if any of us should," Annie says.
"If we let you attend, it doesn't mean we've forgotten that you lied." But there is no anger in Finnick's voice. "At the same time, this is an honest depiction. I trust Cressida. She filmed my propo in the war, when I revealed the truth about the Capitol."
His father gets up from the table. "I'm going out to the ship. I need to think about this."
"Mind if I join you?" Annie stands. "We can talk on the water."
"You don't even have to ask, love." Finnick's mouth brushes his wife's cheek. "You can always sail with me."
Annie is conflicted. "But Wade might need us…"
"Go ahead," their son replies. "I'm feeling better, really."
Wade watches from the porch as his parents take the small sloop boat, triangular mainsail catching the wind. Annie steers the wheel, and Finnick raises the mast. Wade sees his father check the lobster trap lines, and then his parents are illuminated by the setting sun at the ship's wheel. The two Victors gaze across the water, standing in each other's arms.
They return as Wade awaits the verdict. "We've decided we will all go to the premiere," Finnick says. "To control our own family narrative in the press."
The Capitol is hot for the summer premiere. But at the hotel, Finnick wears a heavy black suit, and a dark wool coat. He had once been the Capitol's resplendent bird of paradise. But eighteen years later, there is nothing glamorous about Finnick's appearance. Wade is already perspiring in his thin, royal blue blazar, and there is sweat beading Finnick's forehead.
"You might get heatstroke." Wade is genuinely concerned.
"Excuse me for not wanting to bare skin to the cameras again!" Finnick snaps. He runs a hand over his face. "I apologize. I'm not angry with you, Wade."
Annie, in a blue mermaid-style gown, gives the pill organizer to her tense husband. "I'll be with you the whole time."
Everyone else at the red carpet wears light, airy fashion. Cressida is in a bold gown printed with mockingjay birds. There is a cheer when the beloved President Paylor steps from a car, and Finnick flinches at the sound. Annie quickly takes him inside, away from the lines of photographers. The new generation of press are more respectful, but camera flashes are already triggering Finnick.
Wade sees Rosalba, a vision in an emerald pantsuit and heels, softened by her pale mint silk blouse. Green is the color of spring, rebirth, new beginnings. He had expected her to be in white or gold, but Rosalba makes a statement of independence through fashion. This is how she tells the world that she has stepped from her grandfather's shadow. When Wade hugs her, he sees a row of gold Mockingjay symbols painted on her nails. Cameras whir as they embrace.
She smiles. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired, but better. Rosalba," Wade says, "I want you to meet my family–"
But music plays from inside the movie theatre, and Pollux signs for them to hurry. "Afterwards, yes, I'd love to meet them," she says, and they are separated by the crowds.
Cressida brings the cast onstage to give a speech. Peeta and Katniss are in the front seats. But half the audience looks at Finnick in the back row, shaded by the balcony above him. His return to the Capitol is breaking news across the country. People are interested in Wade, though only a few talk about Annie. But Panem will always worship Finnick.
As the documentary starts and the lights dim, Wade joins his parents. Finnick is already clutching Annie's fingers. As Horn of Plenty plays, Finnick breathes hard when he hears the old national anthem.
Wade takes his father's left hand. "It's okay, Da. You're safe."
On the screen, Wade sees himself. "My parents suffered so deeply before the war, and during the Second Rebellion. I don't claim to be the perfect son, Da would tell you that I'm not a shining example." The room laughs, and Finnick smirks. "But I love them, truly. And I just want my parents to find quiet happiness. They earned it."
Finnick looks at his son in the dark room. "Thank you."
Wade never does manage to introduce Rosalba to his family that night. She is across the room being interviewed by a news reporter. But Finnick is struggling with the blinding camera lights, and Annie takes his arm. "We need to go to the hotel," she says to Wade. "Now."
"Real or not real?" Finnick asks his wife.
"The cameras are real. But no one is going to hurt you, not real."
"Why don't you invite Rosalba to your birthday?" Annie tells Wade.
Whispers spread through Four's train station when Tigris and Rosalba arrive. Awkwardly unsure but happy to see her, Wade puts a quick arm around her side. "Welcome to District Four."
The sea breeze tangles Rosalba's hair, and she sweeps it back. "I've never been to many of the Districts, or seen Four. It's beautiful."
Finnick nods to Tigris. "Hello again. You're welcome here too, you helped the Star Squad and I."
The emotional Annie hugs Rosalba. "Hello, you sweet girl."
The Mellark-Everdeens and Hawthornes return to celebrate at the beach, and Peeta makes a cake for Wade. Even Gale comes, sitting as far as he can from Katniss. Then Finnick stands at the table.
"We're here to celebrate Wade's nineteenth birthday." There's a hint of sadness in Finnick's eyes. Wade knows turning this was a significant milestone during the days of the Games, aging out of the Reaping. Nineteen is important to the Snowdonian generation like his parents. "I wish Mags was here to see you grow," Finnick goes on.
"And while we aren't thrilled that you lied to us…" Annie continues, and the guests laugh quietly. "Wade, we are overjoyed to have you home, safe and sound. Happy birthday, darling." Wade blows out the candles as Rosalba applauds with their friends and family.
Wade takes Rosalba to a secluded cove, away from the others laughing on the beach behind the Odair cottage. The two teenagers stroll in the surf, waves breaking over their bare feet.
"Thank you for trying to stop… you know," Wade says.
"I might have my grandfather's blood in my veins," she tells him. "But I strive every day to be different than him. The world needs love and kindness, not abuse of power."
"How is your scar?"
She shrugs. "It still hurts now and again."
He reaches up to brush her hair from her face. "Can I touch you?"
"Of course."
His fingers sweep her long tresses from her face, to reveal the mark on her temple. They look at each other, and he finds himself looking at her pink mouth. "Rosie, may I kiss you?"
She blushes. "You don't have to ask."
"Yeah, I do, because I want to make sure you want this."
"Yes, Wade Odair, I want you to kiss me."
His lips lightly press against hers. It is his first kiss. Under the summer sun with the ocean waves crashing nearby, his hands hesitantly go to her waist. She lays her palms on his chest.
He pulls back from her mouth. "Is this okay?"
She nods, smiling. "More than okay." They kiss again, and her hands are the only ones he wants touching him like this.
"Wade, I was sent to tell you Peeta made a second cak–" Johanna stops on the sand dune above them when Rosalba and Wade move apart. Johanna grins. "Never mind, carry on."
As Johanna leaves, Wade runs a hand through his hair. "We should head back, Rosie."
He and Rosalba fumble to entwine their fingers, laughing as they find a way to hold hands. For some reason, Annie and Finnick have tears in their eyes when they see their son. Annie says something that sounds like, "I've never seen Wade so happy."
Wade and Rosalba walk side by side, and this time his heart pounds with love for the girl next to him.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is a long, third installment coming in the Hurricane series!